Mary-Claire King: Geneticist, Human Rights Advocate, Single Mom

Mary-Claire King discovered BRCA1, the so-called breast cancer gene, and now believes every woman should be tested.

Geneticist Mary Claire-King has had an astounding career: she discovered the breast cancer gene; she definitively linked humans and chimpanzees; she’s used gene testing to identify the descendants of kidnapped children – and she’s done it all as a single mother.

This short 2015 New York Times article lays out her career with a great Q&A.